Williamson/Ideas in Argument 1e - Unit 1

claim

A writer's defensible position that includes a unifying idea and perspective about the subject.

image

A sensory detail of a subject, such as its sound, sight, smell, touch, or taste.

detail

A specific piece of information about a subject that can function as evidence.

transitions

Words, phrases, clauses, sentences, or paragraphs that illustrate relationships among ideas and contribute to coherence.

metaphor

A comparison of two unrelated objects that assigns ideas to the points of comparison.

connotation

The sensory, emotional, or cultural associations of a word.

denotation

The relatively neutral dictionary definition of a word.

tone

A writer's attitude toward the subject expressed through diction, syntax, and other elements of style.

diction

The specific word choices writers make to convey their ideas.

motif

A series of recurring, related symbols or images that create a pattern to reinforce an idea.

imagery

The written expression of a sensory experience, such as sound, sight, smell, touch, or taste.

extended metaphor

A comparison that is sustained throughout a text.

figurative language

Comparisons (analogies, metaphors, similes, personifications) that draw upon concrete objects to represent abstract ideas.

epiphany

A moment of sudden revelation, insight, or awareness.

idea

An abstract concept that presents a writer's unique stance and serves to unify an argument.

evidence

Information, details, and/or data used to support a reason within an argument.

reason

A sub-claim that justifies and validates an argument's claim.

perspective

A writer's stance about an idea related to a subject; the lens through which a subject is viewed.

position

The side that a writer takes on the subject of an argument.

purpose

The goal that a writer hopes to accomplish within a text (e.g., to persuade, narrate, explain, evaluate).

message

The writer's claim (idea and perspective) that is developed with reasoning and evidence.

exigence

The part of a rhetorical situation that inspires, stimulates, or provokes a writer to create a text.

context

The time, place, and occasion that a text was created, delivered, or read.

audience

The people who read or hear a text.

writer

The author of a text who presents a perspective shaped by his or her background and context (sometimes called the speaker).

thesis statement

The formal expression of a writer's claim (idea and perspective) about a subject.